englishteeth.co.uk

It’s no secret that the big label record companies are struggling with, or reluctant to, adjust their business models to cope with the issues thrown up by, for the want of a better term, “the digital revolution�. So it’s down to the artists to address the situation themselves and an increasing number are making independent releases.

Einstürzende Neubauten have not long since released their third supporter funded release, working on a pay upfront model that gets you involved in the process and results in a disc through the post at the end.

The latest I’ve come across is an instrumental/concept album from Nine Inch Nails. Ghosts I-IV has been marketed direct by Trent Reznor from www.nin.com and is being offered in a number of guises.

The first volume Ghost I is free and has also been posted up on various torrent sites under a variation of the GPL licence.

The full package of Ghosts I-IV however is available as a lossless FLAC from the site at a measly $5. You can also choose a “hard copy� with a “download now too� option and could even go for an all singing and dancing signed deluxe vinyl edition with the grooves in the disk hand scribed by Mr Reznor for $300, though this has sold out.

Five Dollars! That’s less than… well less than loads of things… even less than the cut American Express would get if you used one of their cards to pay for a conventional album release!

I would consider myself a fan if NIN, so it’s possibly no surprise that I stumped up without a moments thought.

Although NIN enjoy a position of status that might allow them do things this way that true independents or unsigned artists might not this still feels in some way right. Good value and the money going to the artist.

The nice image at the top is courtesy of the people working on concerts and music at the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, which I found after a post on eirikso.com.